Monthly Archives: February 2011

Head thug man of Libya, Muammar Gaddafi, has been an absolute ruler for so long that reality is very difficult for him to grasp. Throughout the past thirty years if he said it was raining on a sunny day, then damn well you had better agree that sunshine was rain. Muammar invited foreign journalists to inspect the peaceful land of Libya on the assumption they would see and hear what he sees and hears. His son told them not to mistake the sound of fireworks that celebrate his father’s rule for the sound of gunfire since it was difficult to restrain the joy of people in this land of milk and honey from expressing love for his dad. However, as journalists went through the streets of Tripoli they witnessed snipers killing unarmed people, barricades thrown up by opponents and in talks with doctors were told they had seen hundreds of dead and wounded bodies which arrived at the hospital only to be taken away in order to prove they never existed.

If journalists remain in the capital they soon will hear the sound of more and more fireworks since an army of a least 2,000 soldiers is marching on the capital. I have a hunch they will not be setting off fireworks. Muammar, ye have tarried too long, depart!

Back in 1881, famous gun man Billy the Kid made a deal with Governor Lew Wallace of Arizona for a pardon in exchange for testifying in a murder trial. For some reason, Governor Wallace reneged on the deal and a few months later Billy met his doom in an encounter with Sheriff Pat Garrett. Such is the legend of Billy the Kid, born William H. Bonney in the wild west area known as Brooklyn, New York. Governor Richardson was asked to grant a pardon, but the man who went to North Korea and pardoned their behavior, did not believe there was an explanation as to why Wallace backed out on the deal. Alas, for those of us who love stories about the old Wild West and bask in the glory of men who were ruthless killers, but due to movies have been transformed into folk heroes.

Of course, living in modern America, those who caused the death of thousands of young members of the armed forces enjoy wealth from speaking tours or selling the false story of their lives. George Bush is chopping wood in Texas and Dick Cheney is ranting about more death and destruction. I guess we will have to allow God to decide if they receive a pardon for their killings.

A woman who worked at the Great Tey Primary school in England was fired for telling parents of a child who was abused that her daughter had been bullied at school. Carol Hill then had the audacity to tell a local newspaper about the incident which led to her being fired by the governors who run the school. According to school head, Deborah Crabb, four boys explained they had been playing a game of “prisoners and guards”in which a girl became the prisoner, was tied to a fence and then hit on the legs by a rope. Heck, this is exactly the type of game I want my little girl to play while she is at school. How could any parent be upset that their daughter was tied up at school and hit on her legs! Crabb did send a note to the parent saying their daughter was involved in an “incident” in which someone hit her with a skipping note. Ms. Hill told the parents exactly what occurred on the play ground.

Fortunately, Ms. Hill won her court case. The court did not agree with Ms. Crabb there is such an “offence” known as “going to the press” about children being beaten at school. Nor is it a “breach of confidentiality” to inform parents their kid got beat up at school! Sounds to me, Ms. Crabb is nothing but an old crab!

Many supporters of the current Israel government express concern over overthrow of Arab governments which have established peaceful ties with their nation and worry about seizure of power by more Islamic minded leaders. In a recent editorial in Haaretz, the editors expressed opposition to policies of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu whose reaction to demonstrations in Cairo or Tunis is to reaffirm refusal to budge an inch toward desires of the Palestinian leadership for negotiations that are meaningful. Netanyahu insists he will not listen to requests for preconditions such as halting West Bank settlements even while demanding acceptance of his preconditions that President Abbas must acknowledge Israel as a “Jewish state” even though twenty percent of its people are Muslim. The editor noted that two weeks ago Netanyahu contacted German Prime Minister Angela Merkel to complain about her support of the Security Council proposal demanding an end to West Bank settlements. Merkel supposedly told the Israel prime minister, “you did nothing to aid the peace process.”

It is difficult for one living in America, a nation in which ignorant lunatics have power to urge Israel, a nation in which ignorant lunatics hafe power to urge compromise. But, a compromise with President Abbas today ensures Israel tomorrow will not be confronted with Arab leaders who refuse any compromise.

We inhabit an interesting world in which children are asked to suffer for the mistakes of their elders. The Republican and the Democratic party, including its leader, Barack Obama, lack the guts or intelligence to address economic issues and since they refuse to pass necessary legislation, then children must bear the consequences of their cowardly behavior. Yes, there is a massive national debt, but children are not responsible for this situation. Our national economic problems stem from failure of nerve and refusal to ask ALL members of society to share in solving them.

Governor Andrew Cuomo, a nice liberal man, has decided to slash funding for schools which educate blind and deaf children. He wants to save part of the $114 million spent on these schools. A member of his staff argued in so doing it would advance “consistency and equal treatment” of all children. How could anyone utter such nonsense with a straight face??

How about raising taxes on Wall Street folk and let them turn over an extra $100 million from their $140 BILLION bonus last Christmas??

The only thing certain at this moment is that we Believe there is a man named Raymond Davis and that he comes from America. At this point, the identity of this man is uncertain, who he works for is unclear, but he certainly knows how to use guns. Raymond Davis sits in a jail in Lahore, Pakistan and he is brooding and, most probably, a bit frightened that he will never emerge from his cell as a living person. All those guarding him have been deprived of weapons in order to prevent an assassination of Davis. There are reports of women entering his cell as well as dogs licking his food in order to ensure that he is not being poisoned. This bizarre story began a few weeks ago when Davis was on his way to work for the American government when, according to his version, two men on motorcycles tried to shoot him, but he beat them to the shot and killed both. One version claims he left the car and pumped a few extra bullets into two men, another version has him shooting both in the back. Select any version you desire.

Raymond Davis is simply one more in a fifty year record of incompetence on the part of the CIA. Who doesn’t know he works for that outfit?

There is a lunatic loose in the world whose only thought is his own safety and power. Muammar Gaddafi, who has ruled Libya for over three decades is determined to crush any opposing forces regardless of the price in bodies. In a public address, he told the nation, “We have plans, A, B, and C. Plan A is to live and die in Libya. Plan B is to live and die in Libya. Plan C is to live and die in Libya.” When you put those plans together the end result is as simple as A, B, and C. Muammar must go and go far away from Libya. Reports continue emerging from Libya of soldiers shooting civilians without any concern for how many are being killed. The horror has led the International Criminal Court to warn Gaddafi and any of his cronies they may face charges of crimes against humanity unless the carnage halts. In a sense, Gaddafi is like a suicide bomber who is convinced death is the only way to cleanse the world of filth. He regards opponents as evil and less than human. Thus, the armed forces have permission to fire away and kill “the vermin.”

We believe the UN should order that air space over Libya can not allow military planes to travel in the air until some semblance of order is created. This is an example of what one would term, “a just war” that rids the world of Gaddfi.

In the coming years the United States will be compelled to reduce the size of its military forces. A central issue is whether in downsizing the end result is whether this leads to a less efficient army or can we achieve a bigger bang for less money? Outgoing Chief of Staff, George Casey accepted the reality, “we know the budget has to come down, ” but his concern the need to “be very, very careful that we don’t inadvertently hollow out the force as we try to reduce the resources.” The US Army has been told by Secretary of Defense Robert Gates they must function by 2016 with 46,000 fewer soldiers. Reality is that our armed forces spend more money than all the other armed forces in the world combined. Surely, this is tad bit excessive. Perhaps, the starting point is not initially stating the number who must leave, but creating a 21st century armed force that deals with 21st century issues and conflicts rather than one which thinks in WWII terms of tanks and artillery.

During the past fifty years the only president who significantly reduced the military budget was Dwight Eisenhower, who led British and American forces in Europe during WWII. Eisenhower once told John Kennedy that he should understand that officers always want “more” regardless of the problem. We need a smaller, faster, and more effective armed force to deal with 21st century conflicts.